Expectations
by C-Unknown
Summary: Follow-up to Frustration. Peace on Spherus Magna meant many things to Agori, Matoran, and Toa alike. To the Agori, it meant arena matches could be for fun and not for disputes; to the Matoran, it meant learning their new neighbors' ways; and to Toa Tahu, it meant making sure the one he loved could accept this new world. Tahu/Gali, oneshot.


_A/N: Reading Frustration is not strictly necessary to enjoy this story, but it is recommended!_

* * *

Toa Tahu did not feel the sun beating down, or hear the rustle of sand on the wind; his world had shrunk to the foe before him. They circled each other in silence, each waiting for the other to strike, each scanning his opponent's crimson-red armor for any tear or chink. Around them, the world held its breath.

And then the Glatorian Ackar lunged forward, and Tahu rushed to meet him.

Their swords clashed in a scream of steel as each warrior spun away from the other's blow. With a shout, the Toa of Fire leapt to strike again and felt his blade slice air as the Glatorian dropped to a knee to dodge the strike. An instant later, he felt Ackar's fist slam into his stomach, and he let out a grunt of pain and stumbled back before righting himself to face his opponent once more.

_Fast_, Tahu thought. _ Faster than I expected. Little wonder Mata Nui chose him._

Ackar was back on his feet by then, regarding the Toa of Fire warily. Without a word, the Glatorian lunged forward again; Tahu made to block the blow and realized Ackar was feinting just in time to move his blade to parry the strike. Ackar grinned in satisfaction.

Soon their combat had fallen into the timeless rhythm of two veterans sparring. Slashes were met with rolls and stabs with dodges as the two warriors churned the dirt beneath them to dust, oblivious to anything outside their clash.

It was a simple mistake that unbalanced their dance; the Toa of Fire moved an instant too slow, his sword slashed a hairsbreadth too high, and the Glatorian brought his blade crashing into his foe's chest. Tahu crashed to the ground unceremoniously and scrambled to find footing, but the chance was lost; Ackar set onto him in a sudden flurry of slashes that the Toa grew less and less able to match with each stroke.

Then the Glatorian drew his arm back for a final blow. Tahu watched the steel speeding towards his own and knew that the force of the impact would drive his weapon from his hand. The ragged sword descended as if in a dream.

He did not realize he had begun to gather energy in his mask until it was too late. _No, not NOW-_

A pulse of energy surged out of the Hau, and Ackar's blade came down on a barrier that had not been there a moment prior. The Glatorian went flying back with the impact and tumbled to the ground.

Around them, a groan of disappointment went up into the air. A voice rang out across the arena.

"_Kanohi use is illegal. The round goes to Glatorian Ackar."_

Tahu grimaced and looked up to the crowds of Agori and Matoran, searching the sea of faces until he landed on the cold blue eyes of Kopaka. At his side, Pohatu was smiling awkwardly and trying to catch Tahu's eye.

And Gali was already out of her seat and leaving.

* * *

He found Ackar looking over his blade for damage in the still half-finished hallways of the arena's staging area. The Glatorian looked up and smiled warmly. "Well fought, Toa of Fire," he said. "I felt like I was sparring with Mata Nui back there a few times."

Tahu nodded in response. "You do me an honor, Ackar. Though I doubt Mata Nui would have blown the match," he added grimly.

Ackar sighed. "You've no need to apologize to me, Tahu. A warrior's tools are a part of him. Asking him to carry them into battle but never use them is an absurd request."

"But the only fair one?"

"Perhaps so, perhaps not. I have heard enough to know you Toa are crippled without your masks; would you have preferred to fight me without yours and face me at a disadvantage?"

Tahu snorted and turned away. "I would have preferred that we fight as we would any other foe, rather than put on a show to hide the differences everyone in that audience knows."

"As would I. But the rules of the arena are all but sacred to us, Tahu, and they are slow to change. You would do more harm fighting here without paying heed to them than you would by ignoring these battles altogether."

Tahu looked back over his shoulder at Ackar. When he spoke, a hint of weariness had entered his voice. "I know, Ackar. Which is why I do need to apologize. I just broke your sacred rules in front of a few hundred Agori, and it's hard to tell what's accidental and what isn't from the seats above."

"Again, perhaps so, perhaps not. But if I were you, I would not pay this too much heed. Do you honestly think you are the first combatant in the arena to lose restraint in the heat of battle? Most likely, all that will come of this is that you'll be known amongst the Agori as a bit of a hothead. Not too different from what the Matoran say about you, I gather."

The joke was sour to Tahu's ears, and the Glatorian realized it. He stepped forward and put a hand on the Toa of Fire's shoulder. "Truly, Tahu, do not concern yourself with this. A match is not its ending; you fought as honorably and as skillfully as any Glatorian, and you did it under our rules and by our customs. One mistake will not change the fact that today the Agori will leave this arena feeling more comfortable with Toa than they walked in."

Tahu nodded in response, but did not look back over to Ackar. Outside, he could hear the cheers of the crowd starting up again. "That'll be Kongu," he said flatly.

"And Kiina. Truth be told, she wanted to take you on, but I was already slotted in as your opponent. I think she was curious to see how the closest thing Mata Nui had to a right-hand man would fight."

Tahu snorted again. "She does realize no Toa in this city had a thousandth of the contact with him as you all did, doesn't she?"

"Probably, but I gave up on trying to figure her out a long time ago."

For a few minutes they stood in silence, listening to the clash of metal on metal and the whoops and cheers of the crowd. Eventually, Ackar picked up his sword and sheathed it in the plain belt he had at his side. "I'm heading back up to the stands. It's not uncommon for combatants to stay and watch if they're uninjured. Are you coming with?"

In his mind's eye, Tahu saw Gali leaving the arena, her back turned to the battleground below. "No," he said. "There's someone I need to talk to."

Ackar nodded. "I understand. Nobody ever enjoys seeing their partner come out on the wrong end of a match."

"It's not as simple as that."

To Tahu's surprise, the Glatorian laughed and clapped him on the shoulder as he turned to leave. "No," Ackar said, "it never is."

* * *

Their home was no different from any other on the dusty street of one of New Atero's residential districts; they had chosen it so they could be close to the city's meeting halls, but it was otherwise unremarkable, a simple stone hut just large enough for two desks, a small fireplace, a bed, and the occasional knick-knack an excited Matoran just back from a scouting trip would give them for no other reason than that they were Toa.

For a while Tahu stood at the end of the street, the sun setting behind him, and merely watched the quiet bustle of the town, the Agori and Matoran passing through with bundles of stone or carts of fruit, nodding in response to their greetings and well-wishes. He found it calming, a reminder that all their struggles and adventures had managed to buy them peace enough.

Tahu had never seen Gali do the same; as far as he could tell, she didn't need the reminder.

His gaze turned back to their home. In one window he could see the faint glow of a lightstone; on most nights they weren't needed, a wave of his hand giving life and light to the cold stone hearth. Once in a long while, if the night sky was clear, she would douse the fire herself and leave their light to the stars. He'd asked her where she'd gotten the idea from, once, and she told him it was her one regret as to how things turned out; he'd never spent the night in Ga-Koro, with nothing but the stars above and the waves below.

Tahu sighed. _Do you wish I still could, Gali? Those nights you let the stars in, do you close your eyes and pretend we're on Mata Nui, and not surrounded by a world we don't know and a people I know you don't understand?_

He thought he knew the answer to those questions, and he almost wished he didn't.

* * *

She was sitting at her desk when he entered, reading some tablet he recognized as one that Onua had dropped off a few days ago. As he shut the door behind him, Gali stood and looked him over; when she got to a gash along his left arm, she put a hand to it, and he felt the familiar cool sensation of healing waters.

She looked up at him with a look he'd come to recognize these past few months together – it was the slightest bit sad, the slightest bit frustrated. He bowed his head. "Gali-"

"No," she said. "Not tonight. We had this argument before. We don't need to have it again."

If it had been anyone but her, he might have let it drop there - for all Ackar's jokes, years of battling Makuta and saving worlds had done much to cool Tahu's temper - but with her, it was different. With her, he couldn't let things slide; she deserved better than some half-compromise.

So the Toa of Fire did the stupid thing, which was to reply, "Yes, we do."

There was no surprise on her face, just a familiar slide into a deeper frustration. "Why? What do you want me to say, Tahu? That I'm glad you're going out there and spending your time using your sword and not your mind?"

"This isn't just about me," he scowled. "You know as much as I do that this is the Glatorian and Agori's tradition."

"And I'm glad you're trying to reach out to them. Truly, Tahu, I am. But tradition or no, I'm not going to be happy they're more interested in seeing their heroes beating each other half to death than seeing them do anything useful."

"This is what peace is for us, Gali. You don't get to pick and choose."

Her mouth hardened into a frown. "Maybe not, but that doesn't mean we have to act like there's nothing we can do about it. We're Toa, Tahu. Heroes. Shouldn't we be showing the Agori what that means to us, and not just to them? Do we need to shackle ourselves and our people to the idea of pointless violence just because that's what they consider normal?"

Tahu could feel himself starting to grow angry in spite of himself. "You don't think you're being a bit patronizing, Gali? Do you expect me to refuse the arena just for the sake of showing Toa are above that?"

"No, I don't. But I can expect you to try and show the Agori that you're more than dumb muscle. A Toa fights when he or she needs to, Tahu, not just for sport."

"You think I'm just doing this for fun?"

"I think you will be, soon enough. Tell me, Tahu, before you lost control back there and turned on your mask, how was your match? Were you enjoying it? When you were parrying Ackar's sword, were you doing it because you wanted to show the Agori why Toa are respected, or because you wanted a good fight?"

"What does it matter?"

"It matters because I don't want to see you get swept away in this, Tahu! You're a Toa, not a Glatorian! If you go back to that arena and fight another dozen matches, you might win the Agori's hearts, but what good is that if you lose the Matoran's?"

His eyes narrowed. "Do not cross that line, Gali. I will listen to you argue that these matches are barbaric or unnecessary, I will listen to you say it's unbecoming of me, but I will not listen to you suggest I will forget my people."

"Well, I'm glad we can agree you're not listening, Tahu. It doesn't matter if you don't forget your people, but that will not stop them from forgetting you."

"Enough!" he found himself shouting. Gali stared back at him unperturbed. "Gali, I know everything you are saying is out of concern for me and our people, but you are letting your imagination run away with you. I fought today to help unite the Agori and Matoran, and so did Kongu and Kopaka and all my other brothers who followed me there. It is not the way you would have chosen, but it is _a_ way."

She looked away. "I know, Tahu. But if there is anything I have learned as a Toa, it is that there is never only one way." Her voice was weary. "I just hope you pick the right one."

They stood there in silence for a few moments longer, and then Gali turned away. "I'm going to sleep."

Tahu made some noise of acknowledgment and followed her. The bed they shared was little more than a slab of stone and some sheets the Agori had scrounged up for them, but on most nights the feeling of Gali's body against his own made it a better resting place than any he'd ever known.

Tonight, though, it was cold, and if there was anything a Toa of Fire knew, it was cold.

* * *

Tahu awoke the next morning to the sound of her closing the door behind her as she left for the day. For a little while he did nothing but lie there and listen to the sounds of the first workers of the city starting their day outside. With a sigh, he pushed himself up and out of the bed. It was strange, he thought – since receiving the Golden Armor, he'd been in better shape than even his days as a Toa Nuva, but some mornings he awoke and felt as though he were a thousand years older, a Turaga that was trying to fit into a Toa's body.

As he made for the door, his gaze strayed to the mountain of tablets piled haphazardly atop his desk; resting on top of them all was a single burnt twig. He looked at it for a long moment; unbidden, his mind wandered back to that night three months prior.

He had been caught up in a murder, framed by a jealous Agori that hoped to pin his business partner's death on the newly-arrived Toa. Onua and Ackar proved his innocence easily, but that night he had finally realized the true scale of the suspicion the Agori felt towards him and his brothers.

Gali found him kio from the city, nursing a campfire of nothing but a few twigs and his own elemental fire. He confessed his doubts and fears to her that night, and in turn she reminded him of what it meant to be a Toa. And more than that, she told him why she believed he embodied all that word meant.

Years ago, on Mata Nui, they never would have shared their feelings so openly – but that was Mata Nui, and they had been safe in the knowledge of their place in the world. Here, on Spherus Magna, they and their people were aliens, and the only thing they could be certain of was each other.

By the time they had awoken, it was nearing dawn, and the fire had faded in the night. She reached out from where the two of them lay and gathered up the burnt sticks, then offered one to him with a smile. He took it in confusion.

"Does it remind you of anything?" she asked.

He looked at it for a while. "The Burnt Forest?" he finally guessed, unsure of the point.

She nodded. "The Burnt Forest it is, then. Remember this, Tahu. This isn't Mata Nui anymore. But if you look, you'll see it hidden everywhere, waiting for a Toa to come along and remember it back into life. This world is what we make of it."

He pulled her closer. "Together?"

"Together," she'd smiled.

Now, alone in his hut, the charred twig gave him a quiet hope. This wasn't Mata Nui, and it never could be. But whatever it was going to be, he knew that she would stand with him to make it. He snatched the twig from where it rested and fitted it into the armor along his arm.

_I will not leave the arena, Gali_, he thought. _But I will not let it be what defines us. That is a promise._

Standing a little taller, he stepped out of his home. There was someone he wanted to speak to again.

* * *

He found Ackar in the wings of the arena overseeing the preparations for the next day's matches. The Glatorian waved him over with a smile. "Toa Tahu! To what do I owe the honor?"

"I have some questions about the Agori, Ackar."

"You are best off searching elsewhere, my friend."

"What?" Tahu frowned.

Ackar walked over to Tahu and put an arm around the Toa's shoulders. "Tahu, there is something I think you still don't quite understand about us Glatorian. We are not Toa. We are warriors, and have been for a very long time. If you're looking for something not to do with fighting, you are better off asking the Agori themselves."

Tahu looked at the Glatorian for a few moments, and then sighed. "Gali was just here, wasn't she."

Ackar's smile turned slightly strained. "Indeed she was. It is no place of mine to pry into your relationship with her, but I've been around long enough to recognize someone who's going against what they believe for the sake of who they love."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that Gali is officially registered as a combatant for tomorrow's matches. And that she clearly wished she could be anywhere but here while she was doing it."

Tahu opened his mouth to speak, but the Glatorian cut him off. "So allow me to confirm what I believe is happening here. She does not want you to continue fighting. You insisted that there is honor in what we do. She does not believe you will back down, and so she has decided to face her doubts directly. It is, she is thinking, the least she can do for the person she cares most about. You, meanwhile, indeed intend to continue your bouts in the arena, because you – quite rightly – believe it will help Agori-Matoran relations. However, you are very aware that she would rather common ground be found elsewhere, and, recalling that I have previously been happy to offer advice, have come to seek information on the more peaceful pastimes of the Agori. Have I got the most of it?"

"More or less," Tahu grumbled.

"Very well, then. Here is my advice to you, Toa Tahu: do not come to me for advice. I am an old man now, one that has walked a path of battle and little else, much as I wish that were not the case. Your struggles to come this far were fierce, but you are still young, Toa. If you truly wish to learn the ways of peace, do not ask a warrior to be your tutor."

"You do yourself a disservice, Ackar."

The Glatorian laughed. "Perhaps so. But it does not change the fact that what I know is trade disputes and arena strategies, not courting your love or raising a village. Seek anyone else, Tahu - an Agori who's had a chance to see something like peace these many years, not one of us Glatorian who have spent our lives fighting for it."

Tahu furrowed his brow. "Like who?"

Ackar seemed to consider it. Slowly but surely, his mouth widened into a grin.

* * *

Berix looked up at the Toa standing in the door of his hut with the expression of one who knows his plans for the day have just been shattered beyond any hope of repair. "Whatever it was, it wasn't me," the Agori said.

Tahu looked down at the Agori, still holding a wrench in one hand, helmet slightly askew, making a face like he'd just swallowed a Kraata. "Great Spirit be good," the Toa muttered, then raised his voice. "Agori Berix?"

The Water Tribesman nodded and continued to stare up at Tahu with a half-glazed look in his eyes. Tahu almost thought he could see the scavenger's mind spinning in circles trying to figure out what he was up for this time. "Ackar told me I should speak to you if I was interested in learning more about the Agori's culture. May I come in?"

Berix seemed to seriously consider sprinting for the window on the opposite wall for a moment, then nodded and opened the door for the Toa. The scavenger's hut was littered with chunks of metal and tools that Tahu had never seen before in his life, and one window was hidden behind a pile of items that would be generous to call knick-knacks. Tahu tenderly moved a pile of objects off of what he hoped was a stool and took a seat. Berix was hastily shoving a plate of what Tahu guessed was food off to the side. The Agori cleared his throat nervously. "So, uh, what exactly did Ackar say about me?"

"Simply that you were a friend who would be willing to talk."

The Agori nodded miserably. "Oh, he was being nice? I'm doomed. Nothing's worse than Ackar being nice, because if you say no you wind up with Ackar being angry, and at that point you're better off taking your chances with the Skrall."

Tahu honestly had no idea how to respond to that. _Best get down to business._ "So, Berix… tell me, when you aren't working, what is it Agori do?"

Berix looked at him as though he'd sprouted an extra head. "Well, there's-"

"Don't say arena matches."

"Oh. Uh, well… there's, um… vehicle races sometimes! Tough to get any up and running, though."

"Could you explain more?"

The Agori nodded nervously. "Sure, sure. Well, see, there are all these different vehicle bits scattered about – well, there used to be, before Mata Nui fixed things, not as many these days – so anyway, you fix them up, and then you take them out to the desert, and go for laps. At a good distance, though, so if you crash you don't catch any spectators in it."

Tahu sighed. "Well, that's something, I suppose. Not too much different from Ussal Crab racing…"

Berix coughed. "Sorry, but… why exactly are you here again? I mean, arena matches are the big thing around here. They have been for as long as anyone can remember." He stopped and looked at Tahu more closely. "Actually, wait, weren't you… you were, weren't you?"

"I was what?"

"In the match with Ackar the other day."

_Wonderful. So much for the Agori not caring about that slip-up. _He sighed again. "Yes, I was, but-"

"You were great in that!" The Agori threw a hand up, palm open, and grinned maniacally. Tahu stared at it like it was a Morbuzakh root that had sprung from the ground as the Agori went on. "Seriously, it takes a lot to get Ackar moving like that! I mean, sure, before Mata Nui came by he was getting a bit long in the tooth, but these days you'd swear he's a good couple thousand years younger! And you guys weren't even using everything you could - if they let the two of you use fire, I can't even imagine-"

"Berix!" Tahu snapped, suddenly impatient. The Agori shied back, and the Toa took a breath to calm himself. "I thank you for the support, but I am not here to talk about the arena. I am here to talk about what else the Agori have."

"Alright, alright. But I don't know what you want me to say here. The matches were everything to us, you know? If we didn't have them we'd probably have all gone and wound up killing each other after the Shattering." His voice turned a little harder. "There wasn't a whole lot of time for fun and games, you know."

Tahu closed his eyes and bowed his head. "I know, Berix. I've spoken with the Glatorian many a time. It's just…" He remembered the exhaustion in Gali's voice the night before. "There's someone very important to me who isn't the kind of person who can be happy in a world where all there is to do is fight."

Berix looked at the Toa as if he had decided one extra head wasn't enough and was going for the double. "Wait, wait, wait. Did Ackar send you to me for _relationship advice_?"

Tahu glared back at the Agori with a look so fierce it would have given Kopaka second thoughts. Berix swallowed. "Alright, alright. You're serious about this. She must really be something." The Agori scratched his head in concentration. "I don't suppose she's into scavenging?"

The glare remained.

"Okay, that's not an option. Why did Ackar send you to _me_? Kiina was the one with the hots for Mata Nui, why not ask- whoa, going by that look you didn't know that. Am I the only person who noticed? Uh, anyway. Changing subjects. Why me? I've barely got _friends_, much less anyone to get serious over. Did Ackar think I've been hiding being married for 100,000 years or something? 'Cause, I mean –"

"Wait," Tahu said. "Married?"

"You know- actually, no, I guess you wouldn't. It was something we Water Tribespeople did back before the Shattering. Uh, marriage. Basically, if there's someone you really, really care about, you ask them to marry you. And if they say yes, you have a big party, and invite your friends, and then the two of you are married, and you spend the rest of your lives together. Something like that, anyway – we haven't had one in ages. There weren't a lot of resources to spare for parties when there was barely enough to feed yourself every day. And saying you'll spend the rest of your life with someone means a lot less when either one of you could wind up stabbed by a Bone Hunter by the morning."

Tahu nodded. _Marriage, weddings… I've heard those words somewhere. Where, where… oh._ He frowned. "You say this is something done between two lovers?"

The Agori shrugged. "Well, yeah. I think once in a long while families just did it if they were both really rich, and they wanted to be richer. Which I can respect."

"I've heard a story of two people who planned to marry a long time ago where I come from."

Berix grinned. "Well, hey, common ground!"

"It was intended to consolidate power over an army of monsters, subjugate a city, and ultimately result in the woman gaining absolute authority at the cost of the man's life."

The grin vanished. "Okay, not exactly as romantic where you guys are from."

"No," he said.

An awkward silence stretched out between them. Berix coughed and scratched the back of his head. "So, uh," he began, desperately scanning the room for any sort of topic. His eyes landed on Tahu's arm. "I think you've got a splinter there."

Tahu looked down at the charred stick inlaid in his armor and opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again. _This world is what we make of it,_ he thought. He stood up, nearly hitting his head against a metal pipe jutting out from the ceiling in the process. "Thank you, Berix."

The Agori watched in confusion as he turned to go. "For what?" he asked.

"The reminder."

* * *

He found Turaga Nokama on her way through the residential districts, deep in conversation with Turaga Vakama. As he approached, she looked up with an easy smile. "Hail, Toa Tahu."

Vakama nodded a greeting as well. "Good day to you, Tahu. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I've yet to see the day there isn't, Turaga. But I'm afraid I'm here to speak with Nokama."

The two Turaga exchanged knowing glances. "It would be my pleasure, Tahu," Nokama said. "If you would be so good as to accompany us as far as my home?"

A flicker of impatience leapt up inside Tahu in spite of himself, but he nodded and fell in step with the two Turaga. As they walked, Vakama began to speak. "I saw your match at the arena yesterday, Tahu. You and Ackar were most impressive. For a moment there I felt like I was back in the Coliseum watching Toa Lhikan dance with a Vahki."

Tahu couldn't hide the surprise in his tone. "Lhikan… fought Vahki there?"

Nokama nodded. "Long ago, yes. It was a rare thing, of course – Toa Lhikan had many duties to attend to, and he was never much of one for pointless combat, but once in a long while he'd agree to spar with some new Vahki model to demonstrate its capabilities to the Matoran. Well, that was the official reason – in truth, we all just loved seeing our protector in action."

Vakama nodded in agreement, but said nothing more. Tahu let the subject drop, but allowed himself the slightest bit of pride at being compared to Toa Lhikan by the old Turaga.

Some ten minutes later, they reached Nokama's home, a small, unassuming hut nestled among the residences north of the city's main hall. Vakama nodded to both of them and hobbled away. Tahu watched him go in silence. Behind him, Nokama sighed. "You know, Tahu, he was so happy when you arrived. You may have been a far cry from the calm that Lhikan was, but you burned with the same fire."

Inside, the Turaga gestured for him to take a seat. "Now, to what do I owe the honor of a visit?"

"In truth, Turaga Nokama, I am not here for myself."

"Toa rarely are." She smiled. "May I make an assumption and suppose you are here for Gali?"

"Are Gali and I truly so blatant that everyone assumes I'm visiting to talk about her?" he grumbled.

Nokama's smile remained. He groaned. "Yes, it's about Gali."

"Allow a Turaga her teasing. Though I will admit, I am well aware that for Toa Tahu to come seeking advice from anyone but Vakama it must be for someone very special indeed." The smile turned wistful. "How strange it is, that we can even have this conversation. Look back through the history of the Toa, and you'll find none who had the luxury of viewing their fellows not merely as comrades but as… well. This is the reward of peace, I suppose."

He bowed his head. "Some days, I feel like I've yet to claim it. Nokama, I've been alongside Gali my whole life, but until now most of our time together has been on the battlefield. I… Nokama, tell me – why can't she understand the necessity of things like the arena? For someone who fights so fiercely, why does this alone turn her away?"

The Turaga sighed. "Oh, Tahu. You know as well as I do that Gali understands the necessity of the arena perfectly well."

"But, why-?"

"Gali is a warrior, Tahu, but only because she must be. For every infected Rahi she drove from our gates, there were a hundred Kolhii practices she oversaw, or a dozen fishing trips with the Ga-Matoran. When I addressed Ga-Koro, the Matoran would crowd around her without thinking – she was no mere guardian, she was a symbol of life itself to them.

"It was those moments that let her fight as fiercely as she does. She loves us with all her heart, Tahu, and all that we represent. If she was our guardian, we are her reward – a promise of peace.

"But we are not perfect, Tahu. Some may call us Ga-Matoran peaceful, but we are no more so than the Ta-Matoran, in truth. We fight, we struggle, we boast, we fail, we win – some part of us loves the thrill of victory. Why do you think the Ga-Koro Kolhii team was always so skilled?

"Gali knows this, too. What she fears now is that she may not be able to accept it. There are no promises here on Spherus Magna – there is no peaceful home sure to be waiting at the end of our journeys. The Agori and the Glatorian are more like us than any of us admit, but their world was far crueler than ours. Where we had Kolhii, they had battle, and they grew to love it. And now it is part of them.

"Do you understand now, Tahu? Spherus Magna is not Mata Nui, and it never can be. We will change the Agori, I have no doubt, but they will change us as well. Someday it may be Matoran or Toa lining up outside the arena – not out of aggression, but simply because it is what is normal. Many of us will accept it. But one of us is afraid of what she may lose if she can't."

Tahu stared at the Turaga in stunned silence for a moment. "Turaga Nokama…"

"I am not the one to help her through this, Tahu. She needs someone on the other side of that line; someone who can show to her that peace need not be perfect, and that she will always have a place among her people. You love her, Tahu, and she you. If ever there was a time to make use of that, it is now."

_More than you know,_ he thought. "I understand, Turaga. But before I go, I have one last question."

"And what would that be?"

"What do you know about marriage?"

It was the first time Tahu had ever seen Nokama surprised. "Enough to be very, very confused as to why you are asking."

He smirked and stood to leave. "You might want to rethink your definition, then, Turaga. If the Agori can teach us their ways of battle, I think maybe we ought to give a listen to their ways of peace."

Outside the hut, he smiled to himself. He had one last thing to do.

* * *

He was the first to arrive home that night. In his trek through the city, he'd not seen a sign of the Toa of Water, but it made little difference to him. He lit the fire and turned to the mountain of tablets; as an advisor to the city council, there was no official reason for any Matoran to come to him with requests or complaints, but old habits died hard. Toa fixed things, after all.

Halfway through a letter asking if the remnants of the Ta-Koro Guard could be of any use in the New Atero Watch, he heard the door open. Gali slipped inside and smiled at him wearily. "Hello, Tahu."

How many times had he seen that same tired smile? It was sad, frustrated – but he'd learned to recognize the glimmer of hope hiding behind it. _Great Spirit, you give me a test a thousand times worse than any wild Rahi. In your grand programmed plan, did you ever decide to make someone so right, or was she simply a miraculous accident?_

He stood. "Hello, Gali."

For a moment they stood there in silence, and then Tahu took a step forward and embraced her. "I've been a hot-headed idiot."

He felt her lightly return the embrace. "So, it was a normal day for you?"

He smirked. "You know, if you were anyone else that'd have earned you a searing."

"I'd like to see you try," she shot back with a smile. After a second, though, the smile faded, and she looked away. "Tahu, about the arena-"

"I know, Gali. I spoke with Ackar earlier today."

"I don't like it, Tahu, but I will fight if that's what you think we need." Her voice slipped back into weariness. "I'm trusting you on this, Tahu. Make this work. Make the Agori know we're friends to be trusted, so we can put all this behind us."

Tahu said nothing, instead bringing her closer against him. After a while, he pulled away, taking a seat on their bed and gesturing for her to join him. She took his hand as she did.

He looked down. "Listen, Gali. I stand by what I said yesterday. I will not turn away from the arena, no matter how much it may go against what you believe in. A Toa doesn't have the luxury of choosing his own preferences over the well-being of his people, and here that means we have to fight.

"But today I forced myself to do something I'm no good at – I made myself stop and ask and listen. And everywhere I went, I heard the same thing – nobody here, not the Agori, not the Matoran, and maybe least of all us 'heroes' – knows how to handle peace anymore. There is not a single one of us who is not scared.

"Perhaps that is why the Agori cling to their battles, and us Toa cling to the Matoran - we don't know what lies ahead, so we hold on to the past. But I can't accept that, Gali. You told me once that we are more than cogs in some machine, and I believe that. And that's why I'm going to push forward, no matter what the cost. I will not let my people trap themselves in a past that's done and over." He turned and looked her in the eyes. "And that includes you, Gali."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Tahu."

"Gali, all my life, you've fought for peace and reason. Not once have I seen you lift a blade for anything but the promise of an end to those battles. Well, that end is here, Gali. The rest is up to us. It may not be the perfect peace the legends promised us, but I swear it will be good enough."

She smiled. "Good enough?"

"What's the matter with good enough? For my people? For you? Gali, I cannot think of any higher bar than 'good enough'."

She laughed. "I suppose you have a point there, Tahu. And… you had a point with the rest, too. I am scared, Tahu. I'm scared that this may be one sea change I can't weather."

"Don't be, Gali. Our Matoran are our Matoran, and no number of years spent living alongside the Agori can change that."

"I want to believe that, Tahu, I do, but… there will always be that doubt. I can't change who I am, and who I am is someone who can't accept warfare for warfare's sake. If the Matoran grow to become like the Agori, then what use will they have for me?"

He cupped her face with his hand. "As much as they ever had, Gali. More. Perhaps the Matoran will change in the years to come – perhaps we all will – but you have always stood by them, and for that they will always stand by you. I promise you that."

She looked into his eyes for a few moments, then suddenly let out a chuckle. Tahu furrowed his brow in confusion. "What? What's so funny?"

Giggling, she turned away to stifle her laughter. "It's just – you, Tahu!" She turned back to him with a smile that made his heartlight skip a flash. "The minute you stop thinking about yourself, you can't help but launch into the motivational speeches for everyone else." She chuckled one more time and met his eyes. "And by the Great Spirit if they don't work."

Then she was embracing him, and without thinking he wrapped his own arms around her and leaned his head down to hers as she rested her cheek against his neck. "Thank you, Tahu," she said.

"Just returning a favor, Gali."

* * *

They were half-asleep, the stars shining down on where they lay, when he spoke again.

"There is one thing I should probably tell you."

She didn't bother to look up. "And what's that?"

"I had Ackar mark you down as a paired combatant for your match tomorrow."

She pulled away from him and looked at him with a look of amused horror. "You didn't."

He grinned. "And I may have gotten the restrictions on elemental powers lifted, just this once. With appropriate opponents, of course."

She groaned. "Why did I get the feeling this was all going to lead back to you trying to get me to have fun tomorrow?"

"Because you know me too well, and because you always have fun when we're fighting together. You just don't like to admit it."

For a moment his partner seemed to consider summoning a waterfall over his head then and there, but then she let out a resigned sigh and pressed back up against him. "Just this one time, Tahu. Don't think I'm getting used to it."

He ran a hand along her back. "I hope you never do," he whispered.

* * *

For the second time in three days, Toa Tahu stood tall upon the sands of the arena. At his side, Gali drew her Aqua Axes with an elegance that stood in sharp contrast to the Water Glatorian across from her gleefully whipping her lance from her back and gesturing with it in the universal 'come-on' motion. At Kiina's right, Ackar looked to Tahu, nodded, and drew his sword. The announcer droned on about the special rules of the match, but Tahu paid him no attention.

He looked over to Gali and flashed her a grin. "Ready?"

She looked back and gave just the ghost of a smile. "Am I ever not?"

There was a rumble as an Agori slammed the gong to indicate the start of the match, and the four combatants flew at each other. Tahu brought his sword up and found himself meeting Kiina's lance with it; the Glatorian spun away from the attack, releasing a wave of water from her weapon as she did. With a slash of his own sword, he let a wall of flame fly; he could barely hear the impressed cries of the crowd over the hiss of steam where their attacks had met. As his vision cleared, he saw her grinning. _I shall have to make sure I never make an enemy of this one,_ he thought, and launched himself at her again.

Before he could reach his target, Gali and Ackar crashed down between them, weapons locked against each other in a struggle that clearly boiled down to brute strength. The two were not quite evenly matched, and he could see the Glatorian forcing back the Toa of Water's assault. Instinctively he moved to interfere, only to receive a piercing glare from Gali in return; without thinking, he brought his hands up to shield himself.

A plume of water shot from the ends of his partner's weapons, slamming the Glatorian into the ground and letting Gali gracefully dive away. Across from them, Kiina gave a shout of dismay, but the Glatorian of Fire was up on his feet again in seconds. For a moment, the four warriors simply watched each other.

Ackar grinned. "You were quite right to set it up this way, Tahu. No holds on our abilities, fighting alongside our partners - this is how we live, after all."

Gali's voice was hard. "Enough, Ackar. You could at least pretend you're not enjoying this."

Kiina snorted. "Enjoy it? Old ash-pants over here's probably wishing his back were a thousand years younger right now. What, you think we're just bloodthirsty savages?"

"Of course not," said Gali, and leapt forward. The Glatorian let out a cry and blocked the Toa's attack only barely, stumbling back as she did. Gali's smile was serene. "But if you're anything like us Toa, I know you can't resist the chance to respond to a taunt."

For a moment Kiina looked confused, then burst into a grin. "You know, sister, you aren't so bad."

The Glatorian whooped in exhilaration, and the two water elementals charged each other. Behind them, Tahu and Ackar tore their eyes away from the clash. Ackar sighed. "I suppose we had better get to it as well."

"I suppose so," Tahu agreed, and jumped to meet his foe. Their swords scraped against each other with a scream of steel on steel, sparking as they went. As they broke apart, both weapons burst into flame, and Toa and Glatorian alike brought them to bear against their opponent. A pillar of fire erupted from both and met each other with a satisfying rush of air. In the stands above, the audience gasped in awe.

Tahu smirked to himself as the flames danced. "This is the wrong game to play, Ackar," he called. "I may no longer be a Toa Nuva, but don't think I don't know my way around fire."

On the other side of the inferno, he heard Ackar chuckle. "Oh, I know that. But didn't you hear, Tahu? We're playing in teams."

Tahu heard the roar of water rushing towards him and knew he had but seconds before he would be engulfed. An instant later, there was a damp _crash_, and his grin widened. "Oh yes, Ackar, I heard. Don't think us Toa are lazy on that front, either."

He could hear the Fire Glatorian laughing heartily over the sound of Gali and Kiina's attacks bouncing off each other. He sighed. "Well, Ackar? How long do you want to draw this out?"

The Toa could not see his opponent over the crackling fire, but he could hear the beginnings of exhaustion in his voice. "Oh, not too much longer, I don't think. Shall we go ahead and finish this traditionally?"

"Gladly," said Tahu, and in the next instant the flames were gone. The two warriors rushed towards each other; Tahu could see every movement clearly, every piece of dust that kicked up between their feet. Their blades descended towards each other as if in a dream.

Then Kiina came flying out of nowhere and crashed into Ackar, sending the both of them sprawling, weapons and all. The sound of the gong reverberated throughout the arena, and the announcer bellowed out that this match went to the Toa. Tahu stared dumbly at the open air where his opponent had been a moment earlier, his sword still raised to strike.

He felt a tap on his shoulder. Gali looked at him with a familiar self-satisfaction. "Well, that's a shame, Tahu. The only time I'll ever compete in the arena, and I have to do everything for you."

He looked over at the two Glatorian untangling themselves. "What happened to showing them the grace of the Toa?"

"If they want grace, they can come watch a Kolhii match. There's nothing elegant about battle, Tahu."

Around them, the crowd was whooping and cheering. Tahu smiled and walked over to Ackar and Kiina, offering the older Glatorian his hand. He accepted it gratefully and stood. "Well fought, Toa Tahu."

"Well fought, Glatorian Ackar."

* * *

The four found themselves in the arena's staging area soon after. Tahu took a seat with Gali on one of the simple stone benches marked off for the competitors. Across the hallway, Kiina was jabbering on happily to Ackar about the match as the old Glatorian checked over his armor for damage, a calm smile on his face.

"Thank you, Gali," Tahu said. "I think the Agori and Matoran alike were happy with that one."

She smiled a weary smile. "I'm sure they were, Tahu. But I meant it when I said I would just do it this once. I fight when it is necessary, and today it was. Tomorrow, it won't be."

"No, it won't," he agreed.

For a while they sat there in silence and listened to the murmur of the crowd above them. Kopaka and Gresh were up next, the usual rules back in place.

Finally, Tahu spoke again. "Listen, Gali. I need to ask you something."

"I'm listening."

_You always are_, he thought. "Do you remember what I told you last night, about moving forward?"

"Of course."

"I've been thinking. The Matoran might be getting used to arena matches and life with the Agori, but that's not really new, is it?"

"What do you mean?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ackar ushering Kiina away over her confused protests_. _"I mean that today – this was just an arena match, same as any other. The only difference was that we were able to use the gifts Mata Nui gave us. But we need more than that, Gali. We can't just show the Agori some elemental powers and call that progress. Our world is not just war.

"So there's something I need to ask you." He turned and looked into her eyes. "You told me that night three months ago that we would face the future together. Are you still willing to do that?"

She took his hand gently. "I always have been, and I always will be."

He smiled. "In that case… Gali, I love you with all my heart. Will you marry me?"

The Ga-Toa's eyes went wide in shock, then narrowed in confusion. "Tahu… _what_?"

"The world is what we make it, remember? The Turaga call marriage a political trick, but I say we if we can learn the Agori ways of war, then we can learn their ways of peace… and make them our own. Maybe the traditions of the Matoran will fade or change with time here – but if that's true, then there's nothing for us to do but make new ones. I want to show them we can give new life to the glory of our past on this new world, and I want to do it without ever lifting a sword."

He lifted a hand to her face and stroked her cheek. "Because someone taught me a long time ago that there is more to being a Toa than being a warrior."

Her gaze softened. Without a word, she leaned forward, and he felt her mouth press against his.

For a moment, he forgot the world.

When she pulled away, she was smiling. "You always have had a flair for the dramatic, Tahu."

He opened his mouth to say something, but the Toa of Water raised a finger to his mask to silence him. "So you had better put that flair to good work. If you want to give the Matoran a new tradition, it should be one they can be proud of as Matoran _and_ as Spherus Magnans."

"It'll be a day they always remember, Gali."

She laughed, a sound like the first mist of spring rain. "Now you have me worried, Tahu. You're lucky I've had years to get used to feeling that way."

"Is that a yes?"

She sighed. "Honestly, Tahu, you never can take a hint."

And then she kissed him again, and even if the sun had been beating down upon them, Toa Tahu would not have felt it.

* * *

_A/N: augghghhhgghghg this thing has been flopping around for months now. super-super-super-super-**super**-tumblr-level-thanks to artricahearts, who critiqued an early draft of it and listened to me ramble about elemental robots' personalities. _

_TWO APOLOGIES: one for if I mangled Berix's character (I'm not super familiar with him) and one for if Gali felt a little too pacifistic here. She is a pretty kick-ass girl, and when I was done writing I went "oh no I really hope I didn't hurt her character by writing this." Was aiming for her concern being for her people, but I dunno if I pulled it off. Hopefully it's just me being crazy? _

_HEY YOU KNOW WHERE YOU COULD TELL ME IF I AM BEING CRAZY? REVIEWS! GO REVIEW! I'LL LOVE YOU FOREVER!_

_(PS This whole thing started because I started wondering what a Matoran wedding would look like, so then I wanted to write that, but then to write that I needed setup, and then a whole story wrote itself. oopsie)_


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